


When You Dream, Dream of Me

by K_T_Tara



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: AU, F/M, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, I Don't Even Know, Inception - Freeform, this is actually a lot of AUs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-28
Updated: 2014-07-14
Packaged: 2018-02-06 13:05:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1859067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/K_T_Tara/pseuds/K_T_Tara
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Their lives were simple, normal, happy. Skye and Grant Ward were happily married with two beautiful baby girls and a successful security company...until they died. Then they woke up and the world was not their own. Neither was the next. Nor the next. Nor the one after that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Ward Family is 3/4 Russian and Skye hates it

_"Dancing bears, painted wings_

_Things I almost remember_

_And a song someone sings_

_Once upon a December_

_Someone holds me safe and warm_

_Horses prance through a silver storm_

_Figures dancing gracefully_

_Across my memory…_

The music was ominous, yet beautiful in its own way, like a lullaby that was more than a lullaby. He liked such lullabies, they weren't full of silly words and things that only happened in fairytales, they were real and taught lessons and the tune was melodious. Something he could hum under his breath while he worked and no one would be the wiser that it was a lullaby his wife would sometimes sing to their children.

And he could sing this one in Russian, a fact his children loved and his darling wife abhorred. But only because she couldn't speak Russian.

"You're doing it again," she reminded him and then Grant Ward felt a pair of lips settle on his own, if only to shut him up. He smirked against her lips and kissed her back, one of his arms snaking around her waist and pulling her into his lap.

"Doing what?" he asked coyly, knowing exactly what she was upset about but loving how she lightly bit his bottom lip in retaliation. In the background, he could still hear the movie playing in the kitchen, where their children were eating a snack and watching their favorite movie.

Skye bit his lip again, a little bit harder than necessary because she knew he enjoyed it so much -masochist- then leaned back to give him a sour look. "You're singing along in Russian," she chastised him. Grant couldn't help it; he chuckled. It was so easy to rile her up just by speaking Russian. He never really did find out why she didn't like the language so much, even more so the fact that she married a man who was half-Russian. Their wedding had been _such_ an affair, with her making faces when half his entire family didn't speak English.

"The movie's in English, Grant," she hit his shoulder for laughing," If you want to sing children's songs so bad, do it in the right language."

"We have 'Anastasia' in Russian, you know," he reminded her. Which they only had because he got it for Leah's fourth birthday, just to piss Skye off.

She pinched him for that comment, but he laughed it off. "I wish you'd just let me teach you," he gathered her back into his arms and pulled her forward til he could rest his forehead on hers.

A smile flitted across her face, and for a second he was a little hopeful but then she was shaking her head. "Nope," she said, making a popping sound with her mouth on the 'p'," There are only two languages I'm ever going to speak: English and computers."

Still, he tried. "Think of how surprised Gramsy would be."

" _Never_."

At that moment, one of their daughter's -Danila by the sound of it- shouted something Russian from the kitchen. Grant outright laughed when Skye swore under her breath, cursing him for ever teaching their daughters. "Traitor!" she shouted back to her ten year old daughter, which prompted a giggling fit in the kitchen. "What did she say?" she demanded of her husband.

"Not telling," he shook his head, smiling like a maniac. Skye pursed her lips, and it looked like she was considering headbutting him -it wouldn’t be the first time- but then he was saved by the bell, literally.

"Auntie!" With a shriek, Danila tore out of the kitchen and past her parents in the dining room, her six year old sister toddling after her. "Auntie's here!" Leah paused long enough to tell them, as if they didn't already know, turning sideways to face them, then spinning in a smooth circle to continue her run to the front door. Skye seriously envied her daughters; she most _definitely_ did not have that kind of grace at that age. She blamed Grant.

"Hi ho, off to work we go," she hummed lightly and hopped off her husband's lap. Grant made a little noise in the back of his throat at the lack of contact, but she silenced that with a kiss. "Your stuff ready?" she asked, nodding her head to his stuff spread out on the dining room table. Together, they gathered up his equipment in their individual boxes -locks for doors and windows, some security key pads, cameras, and a whole bunch of other tools- and got it into a large black duffle bag. Lastly, Skye placed one of her many laptops on top and they were ready.

"Have I ever mentioned how much I love having my wife as my partner?" Grant gave her a kiss on the cheek, shouldering the bag. He meant it; when he first started this private security firm it was just him and his friend, Leo Fitz. With the two of them, they got along just fine, especially with the hardware stuff. But Skye was a master computer specialist and now, years later there still wasn't anyone who could bypass their security, either physically or virtually.

"Flatterer," she smiled at him, but kissed him back.

By the time they reached the front door, Danila and Leah were already wrapped up in Grant's sister's arms, all three of them whispering in Russian. "Thank you so much for watching the girls, Natasha," Skye thanked her sister-in-law, reaching around her daughters to give her a quick hug. Grant gave her a quick kiss on either cheek.

"I love these two," Natasha grinned, her red curly hair swishing slightly as she eskimo kissed Leah," I just might steal them forever." Grant and Skye just rolled their eyes; Natasha threatened to steal their children and run away to Russia all the time.

Grant and Skye quickly kissed their two girls bye, reminded them to listen to Auntie Natasha, and Grant had to remind his sister that he did not want to find his babies scaling the side of the house. Again. "Never know when it'll come in handy," Natasha waved him off. Grant bit his cheek; he was more worried about one of them using those skills when they were older for sneaking out to be a with a boy.

Just then, his pager pinged. "Better go," Skye nearly had to pull him out the door," We don't want to make Mr. Fury wait."

Grant followed her to the car, laughing. "Admit it, you're scared of him," he teased, throwing their bag into the bag seat before taking the driver's spot.

Skye stuck a tongue out at him," He's a scary man. Anyone with an eye patch and black trench coat is. Besides, who even wears a trench coat any more?"

He didn't have an answer for her, indeed he thought Nick Fury was a little eccentric too, and so he just put the car in reverse and backed out of the driveway. Natasha, Danila, and Leah stood on the porch steps, waving bye. Grant held a hand out the window in some semblence of a wave while Skye blew kisses to their girls. "Bye bye!" they could hear Leah, her little hand waving furiously and her smile wide and bright.

He felt the slight bump of the car as the rear tires hit the small indent between driveway and street, followed by a second when front tires did the same. He was just about to switch to drive, and turn the steering wheel when he heard Skye scream," Grant!"

Her voice was full of terror and panic and instantly Grant felt his blood run cold. Looking at her, her face was pale white, her mouth open in a scream, and her eyes wide and staring at him. No, not at him. _Behind_ him. He turned his head, so fast it hurt his neck, just in time to see a massive black SUV barreling their way, going much much _much_ too fast for their quiet little neighborhood. He just had time to see a too white grin behind the wheel and then-

 

 

 

 

 

" _Grant_!"

-impact.


	2. What's constitutes as just a dream?

 

 

 

" _Grant_!"

Skye shot up in bed, the name and scream still on her lips. She could still feel the terror, the image of that big truck heading straight for them, she could still see him as he turned just in time to see it hit them. It felt so…real. The fear, all of it…real.

"Skye?" A sleepy voice spoke beside her and her boyfriend, Miles, sat up with a worried look on his face," What's wrong?" He sounded so concerned, so worried, and Skye leaned into his embrace when he slung an arm around her small shoulders.

"Just a nightmare," she murmured back, trying to get her breathing to something less than hyperventilating. She waited for it to pass, the fear and the memory of the dream, but none of it did. She could still remember everything, not just the crash, but that…other life. The one where she was married to another man and had a family. But that wasn't her life; that wasn't _real_.

Miles waited patiently -he was always so patient with her- and let her lean against him for support. This wasn't her first nightmare; her childhood responsible for most. But this was the first time she'd screamed like that upon waking. That scream had been filled with complete terror and even Miles' blood ran cold. It was only when she was calm that he dared ask," Skye… who's Grant?"

She looked at him with the kind of confusion that couldn't be faked. Then her eyes misted over, as if the mere mention of that name upset her, and her face turned to one of despair. "I…I don't know," she confessed," Miles, I dreamed we died; killed by a car. But Miles…why am I dreaming of someone I don't know dying?"

He did not have an answer for her, so he just pulled her into a hug," It was just a dream, sweetie. You're okay. Everything's okay."

But if it was just a dream, why did it feel like it really happened?

…

The room was bright, sickeningly bright, even before he opened his eyes. Were those flourescent lights? Funny, last time he checked his bunk had plain old light bulbs. "Ward," he could hear someone calling him, though it sounded faint and fuzzy," Ward, wake up will you?" The voice was plainly annoyed and with a familiar scottish accent.

' _Fitz?'_ He tried to respond, but his tongue felt numb and his jaw hurt, so it came out more like," Fif?" Why was his security partner here? He and Skye had just been on their way to-

Oh no, he and Skye had-

But wait, who was Skye? And Fitz wasn't his security partner, he was their engineer scientist. _'Just how hard did I hit my head_?' he wondered and forced his eyes open.

He was laying on the table in the lab. At least that explained the flourescent lights. Fitz and Simmons were hovering over him, Jemma with a concerned expression and Fitz with a nonchalant one. "Enjoy your little nap?" he asked, then exclaimed," Ow!" when Simmons whacked his arm.

"Shush," she scolded him, then checked Ward over for any injuries. "There's a very large chance you have a concussion, Ward," she told him.

He just shrugged," Well, that explains the weird dream I just had."

"Dream?" Coulson asked and Ward looked up to see his boss standing in the doorway of the lab. Behind him, Ward could see that the cargo ramp of the Bus was lowered, so he could tell that they were landed. Where, he had no idea.

Ward almost laughed as he remembered his dream. It was all still so clear, and it felt real and honestly it really did feel like 'that' morning happened.

"I was married," he shook his head, thinking,' _But that's ridiculous._ ' "And I had kids, two little girls called Danila and Leah," he continued, a small smile coming to his face at the memory of those two sweet angels he loved so much. Why did it all have to be just a dream?

"That's adorable," he heard Jemma sigh in awe

"It was just a concussion induced dream, Jem," Fitz reminded her, and while she shoved his shoulder for ruining the moment, the smile fell from Ward's face.

_'Just a dream,'_ echoed in his head, and for some reason that just felt…wrong. _'I can remember…everything. The company I started, the day I met her, our wedding…"_ he thought,' _That's too specific to be 'just a dream'…right?_ ' And yet, he also dreamed he had a happy family and his sister was Natasha Romanov. Yeah, that wasn't real.

And yet…he wished it was.

…

Later that day, after Simmons concluded that Ward was okay -the concussion was relatively minor- the team got back to work. "Tell me you found out what they were after?" Coulson asked, addressing the team as they stood around the holotable. Everyone looked to May, who just finished 'questioning' a member of the terrorist group they were after. The man had been caught just this morning, which ultimately ended with Ward's knock out and concussion. ' _And dream,_ ' he reminded himself, though he didn't know why. He still could remember everything, and it was likely the memories of that fake life would never go away. Oh well, at least he'd have the fake memory of being happy.

"The Rising Tide," Melinda May announced, standing ram rod straight with her arms at her side and her face in a no-nonsense expression. It was her only expression.

"That hacker group?" Ward was dubious," What do they have to do with the Evolutionaries?" Being the terrorist group that insisted they were purging the world of lesser beings and making room for the ones that 'evolve into a higher being'.

"A member of the Rising Tide," May corrected," They believe this particular member could be the key to their 'mission'." Even May couldn't help but roll her eyes at the mention of the Evolutionaries so called 'mission'. "Our new friend told me that whoever it is is already one of the 'higher beings'." This time, there was no sarcasm present.

Simmons was the first to realize why. "Do you think it's a Gifted?" she asked incredulously," Someone with powers?"

Ward groaned. He hated dealing with people on the Index list.

"An unregistered one then," Coulson added," We don't have anyone on the list who's part of the Rising Tide." Great, just great, that’s even worse. Coulson ignored Ward's little outburst and asked May," Any idea how to find him?"

She just handed him a slip of paper with an IP address written on it, courtesy of her 'new friend'.

…

"Are you sure you'll be okay without me?" Miles asked for the fifth time as he threw his suitcase into the trunk of his car. A beat up old Pontiac, but he loved it just as much Skye loved her van. "I could stay another couple days, you know," he told her, but they both knew he really couldn't.

Skye smiled reassuringly at him," I'll be fine. It was just a dream."

"One you're still freaking out over," he reminded her.

It was true and she wished he didn't know her well enough to know that. Instead, she just rolled her eyes," Miles, I'll be fine. Go!" She playfully shoved him towards his car, laughing when he nearly lost his footing," We finally tracked down Centipede to Los Angeles; go find them before we lose it again."

The reminder sobered him up and he frowned. True, he needed to track down Centipede to find out what they're doing and maybe get more information on SHIELD, but he really wished Skye could come with him. Multiple times he'd asked her to. Yet as a co-founder of the Rising Tide, Skye had a certain amount of responsibility, namely continuing their own work here and keeping other local hackers in line. Skye took great joy in finding hackers that sold information for money, then making a trail leading straight to them for the police to find. After she anonymously tipped them off course.

"I'll call as soon as I reach California," he gave her a quick kiss, then piled into his car. He watched Skye wave goodbye to him in the rearview mirror as he drove away.

…

"Austin, Texas?"

May had already headed for the cockpit to change their course while the rest of the team stood around in the lounge. Fitzsimmons was messing with their gadgets -he had no idea what- and Ward took the opportunity to talk to Coulson.

"You okay, Ward?" Coulson questioned, completely ignoring his own question about their destination," You seem a little out of it." Well, that could be because Ward felt a little out of it. Namely, he felt like a different person. One with a wife and kids and a completely normal life.

He sighed, sparing a glance at the two scientists to make sure they weren't listening. "It's the dream, sir," he admitted," I can't seem to shake it."

"How so?"

'How so' indeed? How could he explain this? "It felt…real," he continued, trying to find the right words," It was more than…I remember everything, little details that shouldn't even be there. It feels like I've lived another life, like I have two sets of memories." He gazed at his boss, worry evident in his eyes," Does that make me crazy?"

"No," Coulson's answer was immediate, but he took his time with the rest of his response," Sometimes Ward, a dream is more than a dream. Maybe your subconscious is trying to tell you something." Ward seriously doubted that.

"I'm having a little trouble telling what's real and what's not," he replied with a dark and grieved expression," At lunch, I made three extra sandwiches. Two with the crusts cut off for-" he halted before he could say their names. Danila and Leah. His two beautiful little angels. Who didn’t _exist_. "Half of me keeps expecting to see them," if his voice was cracking just the tiniest bit, he could blame it on stress," and I have to keep reminding myself they're not real."

A long moment paused in which Coulson stared at him, and Ward knew how crazy he sounded. Just completely and utterly crazy. Dear God, he was having an identity crises! If Ward had been in Coulson's shoes right now, listening to this the first thing he'd recommend is send them to the looney bin. ' _It's officia_ l,' he remembered thinking at lunch, when he looked down and saw those three extra sandwiches. Two PB&J's with crusts cut off and one BLT, made just how Skye liked it, and Grant had to sit down,' _I've lost my mind. I'm fucking crazy.'_

That's what Coulson could've said, what he should've said, but instead," Who was she?" came out of his mouth. Ward looked up in surprise," What?"

"Your wife," Coulson repeated, and to Ward it actually didn't sound that foreign or strange," Who was she?"

And right then Ward realized he was in bigger trouble than he previously thought. "I don't know." That was the root of the problem, that's what made this all that much worse. "I know exactly who she is in my dream, but here? In real life? I have no idea. I've never met anyone like her, and I'm pretty sure she doesn't exist in this world."

"Her name, Grant."

…"Skye. Her name was Skye Ward."

…

Skye found herself humming a tune that night while she heated up some macaroni and cheese dinner. At first, she didn't even realize what it was, then as she began singing it out loud her heart skipped a beat. "Oh my God," she gasped, almost dropping the bowl of noodles on the floor when she realized she had been singing 'Once Upon a December'. In _Russian_. She didn't even know Russian! _'But you've heard Grant sing it enough times to at least know the words_ ,' some inner voice she had reminded her and this time she really did have to sit down.

' _Grant Ward doesn't exist!'_ she yelled back at her inner voice. And the worst part…she's checked. Did you know there are 178 Grant Wards in the United States alone? How was she supposed to find out which one she dreamed about if she couldn't be sure what facts were true or not? And she's already dismissed their security company as just a figment of her imagination: Shield Security, really?

…And there were no Danila Wards or Leah Wards…

' _Maybe you should check in Russia,_ ' there was that stupid inner voice again. Goddamnit! Fuck Russia! At this rate, Skye really was going to hate Russia; she's already sworn she'll never go there for as long as she lived. If only because everything there would just remind her of a man who didn’t exist. Great, now she was starting to cry. Stupid dream and stupid fake perfect husband. Why couldn't she dream about a douchebag husband, or a jerk? That way she could happily forget him and forget she had that stupid dream in the first place. But she couldn't! She couldn't forget that other life, with him and his stupid attractive face, and how stupidly happy she was.

' _Fuck it,'_ Skye swore mentally and out loud and picked up her laptop. A few keystrokes later and music started playing from the speakers.

_"Dancing bears, painted wings_

_Things I almost remember…"_

…

The apartment building was fairly large, at least five stories tall. Though that was to be expected when it was located right in the middle of the city, surrounded by skyscrapers and other tall apartment buildings. But still… "You can't narrow it down, Fitz?" Ward asked though he had dim hope of him doing so, even as he and Coulson stared up at the building.

"Sorry, Ward," Fitz apologized over the inner ear comms," Something's jamming the signal and making it incredibly difficult to trace it. But I'm fairly certain it's this building the IP address originates from. Try the east side. It seems to be stronger there."

Ward and Coulson inspected the east side of the building where there was a well lit alley between this building and the next. "25 to 30 apartments," Coulson mused," Shouldn't be too hard."

"Sir, what's the plan here? Knock on every door and ask,' Hi, you don't happen to be a member of the Rising Tide and/or have magical powers?"

"Fitz, don't be ridiculous," Simmons reprimanded him.

There was probably a retort on Fitz part, and he think he might've heard Coulson say something to both of them, but Ward wasn't really paying attention. No, he was listening to something else entirely. Music, a song, was playing nearby and the notes echoed lightly between the walls until they reached him.

"-ard? Ward?" Finally, he heard Coulson calling his name.

"Sir, do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

_"-dancing gracefully_

_Across my memory"_

The music grew louder, the loud and familiar humming verse echoing clearly throughout the alley. He _knew_ that song. It called to him and though it was faint, to him it was a loud ringing in his ears. "This way," he barely heard himself say, moving without even waiting for Coulson.

"What? Wait up!" Coulson hurried after him," Agent Ward, what are you doing?" But he didn't answer, intent on following that music, which even Coulson could hear now.

" _Far away, long ago_

_Glowing dim as an ember_

_Things my heart used to know_

_Things it yearns to remember…"_

…

Skye sang under her breath, thankfully in English, as the song came to a close. You know, when it's in a language she actually knows, it's not a bad song. A little macabre for her taste, but it had such a catchy tune.

Bam! Bam! Someone banged on the door to her little van just as the music faded and Skye jumped so high her head hit the ceiling. What the fuck?!

"Hello?" a male voice called out, followed by a more polite knock -who the hell knocks on a van anyways?-," This is Phil Coulson, I'd like to speak with you for a moment, please." Well, at least he's polite.

_'Shit shit shit,_ ' Skye mentally swore, lunging for her computer. A click later, she pulled up footage of the camera she placed outside her van -yes, she has a camera watching her van. It's for moments like this one- and then she saw them. Well, their backs, but they were wearing black suits. The camera automatically zoomed in a badge it located, being held in one of their hands. Soon, Skye was staring at a SHEILD badge.

' _Double shit!'_

Mentally going over her options, Skye looked around, trying to figure out what to do. Her best bet was to just drive away, but silly her, she left the keys up in Miles apartment. So that left option two-

Bang! "Hello?"

Without saying a word, Skye pressed the play button on her computer -she'd need some background noise to cover up her sounds- and picked up her cup of hot tea while 'Riot Girl' by Good Charlotte played loudly. Oh, that's perfect; Skye knew she loved her playlist for a reason.

Bang! "We know you're in there." But still Skye didn't answer, she just waited with her cup for that door to slide open. They didn’t let her down.

_"My girl's a hot girl_

_A riot girl-"_

The van door slid open with a bang and Skye got a glimpse of black suit and white shirt before she threw the hot tea in his face. "Argh!" he yelled out in surprise and pain, his hands coming up to cover his face a moment too late. Before anyone could react, Skye took a flying leap at him. Simultaneously, her legs wrapped around his waist and pinned his arms to his sides while her right elbow swung around to slam into the side of his head. Both blows combined threw him off balance and while Skye thought he might fall over backwards, a larger part of her was freaking out. How the hell did she know how to do that?!

He did not, however, fall over and with a strength she did not expect, he pried his arms out from under her legs, forcing her higher up on his body. In some deep part of her, some part ruled by instinct and muscle memory, Skye reacted in a way she did not plan and then her legs wrapped around his neck and she was twisting her entire body in a way completely not normal. Her twisting took him with her and they both crashed to the ground. His back hit the pavement in a way she knew knocked the air out of him and she easily and smoothly rolled off him, still freaking out. ' _How the fuck am I doing this?! I was just planning on throwing the tea and running past them!'_

She took a moment too long mentally screaming and it gave the man in suit time to get to his feet, faster than she thought humanly possible. But when he came at her, arm swinging in a mean punch, her body once again acted on instinct. Blow for blow, she either deflected -damn! That hurt her arms!- but mostly just dodged. Then all of a sudden, one of his hands grabbed her shoulder and _pushed_. Her back hit the opposite wall and then he was on her. A forearm pressed against her throat but not enough to choke, the other hand pinning both hands between their chests, and a knee pressed into her stomach to hold her there.

"Fuck!" Skye swore. She was screwed. Royally and sideways.

Then… "Skye?" he sounded out of breath in a way that had nothing to do with their fight, but in a way that sounded awed and shocked.

Skye opened her eyes -when had she closed them?- and came face to face with her husband, Grant Ward.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Booyah! Oh, how I so love cliffhangers!


	3. Wedding what wedding?

_Previously on "When You Dream, Dream of Me"_

_She took a moment too long mentally screaming and it gave the man in suit time to get to his feet, faster than she thought humanly possible. But when he came at her, arm swinging in a mean punch, her body once again acted on instinct. Blow for blow, she either deflected -damn! That hurt her arms!- but mostly just dodged. Then all of a sudden, one of his hands grabbed her shoulder and **pushed**. Her back hit the opposite wall and then he was on her. A forearm pressed against her throat but not enough to choke, the other hand pinning both hands between their chests, and a knee pressed into her stomach to hold her there._

_"Fuck!" Skye swore. She was screwed. Royally and sideways._

_Then… "Skye?" he sounded out of breath in a way that had nothing to do with their fight, but in a way that sounded awed and shocked._

_Skye opened her eyes -when had she closed them?- and came face to face with her husband, Grant Ward._

 

Chapter Three:

"Grant?" His name fell past her lips in a gasp not that different than his own. Oh God, he was here! He was real! Though Skye knew this was her first time ever seeing this man in real life, she knew his face, knew him like…well, his _wife_. He still -she mentally kicked herself for using the word 'still' as if she's known him for years (she has)- had that little scar on his cheek, though she doubted it was from being punched by his sister because he told her that she does not look good with blonde hair, and so she immediately punched him in the face, ring and all. Now that Skye paused to think about it, she doubted Natasha even was his sister at all. Or at least, this Grant's sister.

Speaking of which, he was staring at her like…like, a man seeing the impossible happen right in front of him. She knew exactly how that felt, but seeing it on him was…different. His eyes were bright and wide, his mouth hanging just the tiniest bit open so she could barely see the whites of his teeth, and his eyebrows furrowed slightly. It looked cute on him. "You're…" he gaped at her, and Skye noticed he removed his forearm from her throat only to use it to lean his weight against the wall by her head -yeah, she was having a little trouble standing straight too- and he had a little trouble speaking.

"You're _real_ ," she finished for him, somehow knowing he was as surprised as she was. She had no doubt that silly expression of shock of his was on her face too. As the words left her mouth, it all hit her at once," Oh my _God_ , you're really here. You're real…" She wanted to shout, to scream, _'this is impossible'_ but her voice was no more than a whisper.

He bit his lip," You're _alive_."

Oh yeah, they died in a car crash, didn't they?

No one really knows who moved first, not even Coulson who was watching all of this with his jaw hanging wide open, or what came over them, but next thing anyone knows, the reunited 'husband and wife' were kissing. Oh, this was more than just a kiss, Skye thought, as Ward's lips descended on her with an urgency she hadn't felt in ages. Lifetimes, it felt. They pushed against each other, all lips and tongue and passion. Ward's hand moved from the wall to snake through her hair, though his other hand didn't release her own hands, as if he needed to keep that point of contact, to make sure she couldn't disappear from his arms.

Skye gave as good as she got, moaning because _oh_ he was a good kisser. Some part of her already knew that, remembered how well he kissed and how he liked it when she bit his lip. Which she did and it ripped a light, almost not there groan from his throat. This…This felt right. This felt like home, and never once did she think of Miles, her boyfriend.

" _What the hell is going on?!"_

Oh shit! There was a second man in suit; she completely forgot about him! Skye's eyes popped open the same time Ward's did and they pulled apart. Ward made to pull away completely, but halted when Skye's hands held onto his own and held it to her chest. She wasn't about to let him go now, damnit. Thankfully, he agreed with her and didn't move any farther back, despite how terribly bad this looked like.

"Umm…" Skye's mouth was so dry, despite how well and truly it had been kissed just a second earlier. But this man now staring at them…she recognized him. Though she doubted he was really a elementary school principal…

Ward, bless his soul, was not as tongue tied as her. He just smiled crookedly at not-principal Phil Coulson in that way that was all snark and sass and part of why she loved him so goddamn much. "Sir, I'd like you to meet Skye," he introduced her, even as his fingers interlaced with her and he kissed the back of her hand with a smile," My sorta wife."

Skye laughed; 'sorta wife' indeed!

* * *

 

The ride back to the 'Bus', which was actually a massive plane Ward told her, was equal parts awkward and exhilarating. Exhilarating because Skye and Grant -he preferred to be called Ward in this world, but she argued that she'd rather call him Grant- sat next to each other in the back seat, catching up and figuring out what was real and wasn't. She learned that no, Natasha was not his sister and while yes, he thinks he's half-Russian he does not have any contact with his family at all. Likewise he learned that Skye was actually an orphan and not the daughter of Linda Avery (neither of them knew a Linda Avery in this this world) and that she was a hacker and not a computer tech.

The awkward part came because Coulson was driving, feeling very much like a chauffer, and had to listen to the two in the back get 'reacquainted'. All three of them gave up on trying to explain the fact that though they technically just met, they knew each other for years. Coulson believed them when, just to prove her point, Skye reached over to tickle Ward right behind his ear, where no one knew he was ticklish. Prior to the dream, even _Ward_ hadn't known he was ticklish there. Then they had to explain to Coulson that some years ago -we'll ignore the glaring problem there- Skye had discovered it by accident when she tried to help him figure out Bluetooth.

Ward told her about Fitz and Simmons. Yes, he was still an engineer but a brilliant one, and no he was not married to Simmons. But all three in the car agreed that they should be. Coulson laughed when Skye told him that Melinda May was her aunt on her dad's side, whom died before she was born.

Then Ward asked about Danila and Leah.

"Where are the girls?" he asked, turning pensive as the conversation turned to their married life. The smile fell from Skye's face and then that hole in her heart that had been plaguing her all day returned in full force. Ward recognized the look of pain on her face and quickly explained," I just thought… if you were real, then maybe… _they_ were too."

"I think I'd remember giving birth," she snapped at him, but even that could not stop the sharp pain she felt in her chest. She could remember those girls, could still feel them in her arms, but they couldn't exist…right? Even if he was in front of her right now, physically they've only met today. "I've only technically met you today," she pointed out, feeling bad when he looked like she had just slapped him," I don't think we could've had babies ten and six years ago."

Coulson wisely remained quiet and stayed out of it.

Ward frowned at Skye," I don't think anything's impossible at this point, sweetheart." The endearment came out naturally and only Coulson noticed the misplaced oddity of it. "We shouldn't even know each other, yet we have memories of an entire life together," he continued," Tell me how that happened."

She looked at him long and hard," Are you saying that we might've lived that life, but our memories have been changed? That sounds _insane_ , Grant."

He just sighed and reached out to lay a hand on her neck. With deft fingers that knew exactly where they were going, he gently wrapped his hand around one side of her neck, then pressed lightly at a spot he knew she liked. True to his expectations, Skye's eyes closed in bliss, she leaned further into his touch, and a sound like a purr escaped her mouth. "Do you think just a dream gave me that knowledge?" his voice was soft and sad.

They both knew the answer to that was no.

"But… how can they be real?" she whispered back, her voice just as soft and sad," Where _are_ they then?"

He did not know. Instead, he glanced up at Coulson, who was glancing back through the rearview mirror. "I don't know," he admitted before his eyes turned back to the road," This all sounds so impossible to me. And I came back from the dead."

"But I trust you, Ward," he added," I trust you believe this is real. I don't think you would've hired a strange woman to pretend to be your 'dream wife' just to mess with me."

Skye giggled," Thanks for the vote of confidence, A.C.

* * *

 

They didn't call ahead and tell the rest of the team about their… circumstances. As they pulled up to the airstrip and consequently the Bus, Skye was growing ever more nervous. Ward coached her a little bit on how to react to the team: Fitzsimmons were just as she remembered and so it was expected that Jemma would want to run a few tests on her, Fitz was a bit more quiet than she 'remembered', and it was probably safest to not give May a hug. "She'd most likely kill you," he said with a wry look.

"Sounds like my aunt," she shrugged," I apparently only saw her every couple years or so, which might explain why you didn't know about her. As my aunt, I mean. Obviously you know her now."

"Yes," he shook his head with a smile," As my scary teammate."

"Don’t tell her you called her scary," Coulson piped in," She'll kill you."

"Or take it as a compliment."

So, when they finally pulled up to the Bus, Skye was understandably nervous as hell. Ward made to comfort her, to calm her down, but Coulson beat him to it. "Trust me, your introduction to them can't possibly be worse than your introduction to me," he pointed out, having been the unfortunate witness to their fight followed by epic kissing session. At that, she laughed and asked Ward," Do you want to make out on the cargo ramp and wait for them to say something?"

He just rolled his eyes and took her hand in his, pulling her up the ramp and past the two vehicles. They found the rest of the team on the second level, still in the Command Center circled around the table. Coulson entered first and was promptly attacked by May. "You've been quiet," she gave him her signature cold-eye look, which was the equivalent to a fiery glare," Why haven't either of you reported when you found the target?"

Coulson's hands instantly went up in surrender, then one hand pointed to Ward and Skye, who entered the room next," I think I'll let them explain."

"And who are you?" May turned her gaze to Skye, who gulped and hid behind Ward. He wasn't kidding when he said she was scary.

"Is that her?" Fitz spoke up before Ward could answer, craning his head to get a better look her around Ward's large body," The one the Evolutionaries are after?"

That was a name Skye wasn't familiar with. "The what?" she asked Ward," You never said someone's after me." To his credit, at least he had the decency to look embarrassed.

"It slipped our minds in light of… your situation," Coulson said.

At that moment, Simmons rounded the table and smiled reassuringly at Skye," I'm sure this is all new and confusing for you, but I promise you're completely safe here." Skye smiled wryly at her,' _Oh honey, you have no idea.'_ Jemma held out her hand," I'm Jemma Simmons. Nice to meet you."

Still smiling, Skye moved away from behind Ward and shook Simmons hand (she has memories of having girl-only sleepovers with this woman) and thought that she was just as sweet as she remembered. "Hi," she decided since Ward had fun introducing her to Coulson, it was her turn now," I’m Mrs. Skye Ward. This-" she pointed with one thumb back at Ward," -is my kinda-sorta-husband."

In all retrospect, she should've known that Fitz would faint.

* * *

 

Skye waited (almost) patiently in the lounge, sitting on a comfy white recliner, as the team had it out with Ward. While Simmons worked to wake up Fitz, Ward pulled a sandwich out of the fridge and placed it in front of her, knowing that he had interrupted her dinner. This was better than mac n cheese, but when she noticed it was her favorite, she gave him a strange look. He pretended to not see it and quickly walked away, munching on a crustless PB&J.

"What do you mean, 'you're married'?" May was glaring at him now, actually glaring.

 Jemma Simmons, upon finally rousing Fitz and repeating what had been said so far, chose to take a seat next to Skye, plopping down with a sigh. "Are you as lost and confused as we are?" she asked her, worried because Skye wasn't really speaking to anyone other than Ward. Skye huffed; that was an understatement.

"I have no idea what to think," she admitted," I don't know if someone's messing with our heads and making us think we're married, or maybe we really did have that life together and for some reason our memories were erased and overwritten, or it's some weird magic voodoo and shit."

None of those seemed very plausible to Jemma and the entire situation just screamed impossible, but after New York- who knew? Anything seemed possible at this point. "And you want to know the worst?" Skye continued, picking at the bacon on her BLT but not eating it," Grant thinks that there's a chance Danila and Leah might exist too. So far pretty much everyone we've dreamed about exists in this world, so maybe…" She trailed off, not quite sure if she wanted to risk hoping her little girls were real or not. She didn't know if she could stand hoping for that, only to find out that they were just figments of their imagination.

"You'd think I'd remember giving birth, don't you?" she asked Simmons," At least, in this sense of the world." Simmons thought for a moment, and when she thought of a solution, they were interrupted by Fitz's voice. He was clearly affronted and arguing with Ward," I'm offended you didn't invite me to the wedding! I thought we were friends."

Ward fended off their accusations and tried to explain to the best of his abilities, which considering his people skills, wasn't going so great.

"Honestly, sometimes I don't get what goes through that man's head," Jemma huffed, and Skye had to presume she was speaking about Fitz," Here we are, faced with an unlikely and seemingly impossible phenomena, and all he's worried about is not being invited to a wedding that didn't actually happen."

Skye laughed because it was good to know that Fitzsimmons was the good same old, same old. "If it makes him feel any better, he was the best man at our non-existent wedding," she told her," And you were my maid-of-honor." It was worth seeing Jemma's eyes sparkle and her huge grin, coupled with a gasp of pure joy.

"I was your maid-of-honor?!" she squealed, and the entire lounge fell silent as the rest stared at the two of them.

"Oh come on!" Fitz exclaimed, poking Ward harshly in the chest," At least tell me I was your best man!"

"You were, Fitz," Ward tried to reassure him, shooting a dark look at Skye and Simmons," But remember, we're not even sure it actually happened."

Then Coulson had to pipe up," Was I invited?" Skye and Ward exchanged glances; well, they only knew Coulson as their daughters' school principal and therefore did not know him til years after their wedding. It was probably better to not tell him that, so Skye just said," Oh, I'm sure you were around somewhere," while avoiding his gaze. Unfortunately Coulson was smarter than that, and the disappointment on his face was quite evident. "Sorry, sir," Ward apologized," If it makes you feel any better, you would babysit every now and then and the girls called you 'Uncle Phil'."

It helped, just a little.

 


End file.
